The finished anthology will be published by Blue Ormer and launched at the 2026 Guernsey Literary Festival, offering a platform for original fiction or creative non-fiction shaped by local voices and island experiences.
Titled Time & Tide, the 2026 edition invites stories that explore themes of memory, transformation and the rhythms of island life. Writers aged 18 and over who were born in or currently reside in the Bailiwick are encouraged to submit.
‘This anthology is about amplifying local stories and perspectives,’ said Claire Allen, director of the Guernsey Literary Festival. ‘It’s the first publication of its kind supported by the festival and we’re excited to celebrate the islands’ literary talent in this new way.’
Karel Harris, managing director at Sarnia Hotels, is proud to support this celebration of storytelling from across the Bailiwick.
‘As a locally-owned group, we’re passionate about Guernsey’s culture and community and we’re delighted to help share its voices through this exciting new anthology.’
‘This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the depth and originality of Guernsey’s writing talent, and we’re proud to help bring these stories to life,” added Steve Foote, publisher at Blue Ormer.
The judge is novelist and short story writer, Ross Raisin.
‘Island communities have a distinct perspective on place, identity and change – all themes that make for powerful fiction,’ he said. ‘It’s a pleasure to be part of a project that nurtures emerging writers and celebrates local voices.’
Entrants will be supported through writing advice and locally run critique groups. Selected stories will be published in both print and digital formats, with contributing authors invited to take part in a launch event during the 2026 festival.
The festival is also partnering with Art for Guernsey to commission a locally-designed cover, created by a Guernsey artist in response to this year’s theme. Further information about the cover selection process will be announced in the coming weeks.
‘At Art for Guernsey, we’re passionate about celebrating local creativity in all its forms,” said founder David Ummels. ‘This partnership allows us to connect visual art with storytelling in a way that reflects the richness and diversity of Guernsey’s cultural landscape.’
Ric Le Poidevin, web director at U&US said: ‘As soon as the Guernsey Literary Festival approached us, we knew it was something we wanted to support. We love backing local creative ideas, and the opportunity to help bring a book of Guernsey stories to life really spoke to us. It’s been a pleasure to shape the brand and build a digital home for the project.’
Stories will be reviewed through a two-stage judging process with filter judge Ben Hinshaw, Guernsey-based writer and author of Exactly What You Mean, and main judge Ross Raisin, an award-winning novelist and winner of the 2024 BBC National Short Story Award.
The word limit is up to 2,500 words and submissions are open until 30 November 2025. Submissions can be sent to anthology@guernseyliteraryfestival.com and more information is available at guernseyanthology.gg and the Facebook group Guernsey Short Story Anthology.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.